JL Architects

Green Building

The Importance of Daylighting

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Daylighting is an important consideration when designing space.  But what exactly is daylighting?  Daylighting is the practice of placing windows, other openings, and reflective surfaces so that sunlight (direct or indirect) can provide effective internal lighting.  When daylighting is properly executed, not only will it be visually enhancive, it will also result in sustainable and energy efficient buildings.

How is daylight different from sunlight?  Sunlight is the light that enters a space directly from the sun.  This type of light can produce glare as well as excessive heat.  Neither of which is suitable for indoor environments, especially for places such as schools, offices, or retail stores where direct sunlight is uncomfortable and can cause visual impairment due to glare.  Daylight on the other hand, describes the natural light in a space that is evenly distributed to avoid the ill effects of direct sunlight, while providing an internal environment that is comfortable and productive as well as energy efficient.

Researchers have found that a well daylit space can have a positive physiological impact on a person’s circadian rhythm.  Often referred to as the “body clock,” the circadian rhythm, which primarily responds to light and darkness, is an internal cycle that tells our bodies when to sleep, wake up, and eat.  A study by the Heschong Mahone Group based near Sacramento found that students who took their lessons in classrooms with more natural light scored as much as 25 percent higher on standardized tests than other students in the same school district.  The main theory for why is that daylighting enhances learning by boosting the eyesight, mood and/or health of students and their teachers.

Daylighting can also have a significant effect on energy conservation.  Highly efficient, strategically placed windows maximize the use of natural daylight in a building, lowering the need for artificial light. Window technologies available today are more energy efficient as they insulate while still letting the light you want in.  Daylighting will lower your lighting and heating needs, meaning you use less electricity and it turn, lower your utility bill.  The more natural lighting, the more money you can save!

If you are looking to redesign your space, consider incorporating daylighting into your design.  The experts at JL Architects can help!

-Amy Estrella

 

*Image courtesy of Solera

Green Building Certification, A Common Sense Approach

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As Director of Sustainability for JL Architects, I am active as both a Green Globes Professional and Green Globes Assessor for the Green Building Initiative (GBI).  I recently had the pleasure of completing the Green Globes Stage II Verification for the Halstead International’s new warehouse in Rincon, GA, and proudly share that the project successfully achieved 2 Green Globes!

Wondering what this means?  Follow along with this (very!) condensed version of a Green Globes Stage II Report, and learn if a Green Globes building certification is the right solution for your next project.

Green Globes Report (condensed)

The Halstead warehouse is a new construction project consisting of a 153,000-square foot, single-story warehouse with a two-story office space built within. The warehouse is a structural steel frame building with a concrete tilt up exterior wall system, aluminum storefront, and membrane roof.  It is used as a warehouse facility, to serve the customers of Halstead International.

The Green Globes Stage II verification process included an on-site assessment.  During the assessment, I completed the following: a physical review of the completed building, interviews with members of the design and construction team who were responsible for the management of the project, and a review of product submittals and documentation. This allowed for me as the Green Globes Assessor to verify the targeted achievement defined by the project team, and as confirmed in the Construction Documents.

The onsite assessment was performed on January 25, 2018 beginning at 9:30 am.  The following people accompanied me on the assessment:

  • Jonathan Stone, Vice President of Operations, Halstead New England
  • Rowland Davidson, Randall Gipson, and Steven Barthlow of Lynman Davidson Dooley Architects
  • Bryon Payne, Building and Site Manager

Discussions focused on substantiating the points from the online self-evaluation using the construction documents, records of the design and construction processes, specification sheets, shop drawings, logs, meeting minutes, reports, computational models, and other relevant information.  At 10:30, the facility was toured to verify installation and implementation of the features.  Following the tour, a closure meeting was conducted with Jonathan Stone to review the tentative results of the assessment and identify additional information required to complete the Stage II verification process.  The tour concluded just in time for the 12:00 Ribbon Cutting Ceremony.  During the Ceremony, the Halstead organization shared their commitment to sustainability.

The methodology used to derive the final score was to assess the criteria within each of the following project elements:

Project Management

Meeting minutes were provided to reflect initial and final performance goals. Qualitative values and metrics were provided in the energy model summary data to demonstrate green design, as well as performance goals for electricity, and the use of the solar panels producing onsite renewable power.

Site

The Hydrology report includes calculations to demonstrate that the site meets municipal water quality targets and is designed to retain 50% of the total average rainfall volume.

The technical information was provided for the UltraPly TPO Membrane roof including the Radiative Properties such as solar Reflectance at .79/.68.

Existing large trees were integrated into the surrounding landscape, while the new landscaping  combined with the existing native surroundings assures plants are non-invasive and drought-tolerant.

Drought Tolerant, Native Plants
Drought Tolerant, Native Plants

Energy

An energy model was created using ASHRAE 90.1 2010 Appendix G and was used to assess the future energy performance. The provided model summary indicates that the energy costs and consumption to be 63% compared to the reference base building.

On-site Renewable Energy – A study was conducted to determine the technical feasibility and cost effectiveness of on-site renewable energy. The recommendations of the study were partially implemented resulting in rooftop Solar panels and controls.

On-Site Renewable Energy
On-Site Renewable Energy

Water

Contributing to the reduction of potable water demand, the Toilet fixtures have a 1.28 GPF, and lavatory faucets have a flow rate of .5 GPM. The landscaping does not use irrigation.

 Materials and Resources

Shipping containers were salvaged and refurbished for use in the design of the office area interior and exterior skin. The shipping container doors are welded open to form sunshades. The reception desk incorporates reclaimed shipping pallets. Decorative mobiles are installed in the reception area and are made of reclaimed wood flooring.

Reports were provided to verify over 75% of construction waste was diverted from the landfill. 120 tons of concrete was hauled off the site to be crushed and reused.

Salvaged Materials
Salvaged Materials

Emissions

Ozone-depleting Potential – R-410A (which contains only fluorine) does not contribute to ozone depletion. Heating and cooling roof top units are capable and equipped with leak detectors.

Indoor Environment

Between 50-74% of the floor area occupied for critical visual tasks achieve a minimum daylight factor. Between 31-59% of task areas have views to the exterior. 149,400 SF of daylit area uses photo sensors.

The warehouse has louvers on the north side of the building. Fans are installed for air circulation as per ANSI/ASHRAE 62.1-2010. All operable openings are readily accessible to the building occupants.

Verification by the assessor resulted in a final score of 486 out of 836 applicable points, which equates to 58.1% and a Two Green Globe rating for the Halstead Warehouse Rincon, GA.  This level of sustainability is a notable accomplishment!

Ready to talk about your next Green Building Certification? Want to know more about the common-sense approach to achieving a green building certification? Barbara and JL Architects have completed green building certifications for universities, K-12, healthcare, transportation, distribution centers, offices, multi-family properties, retail, and restaurants. Let’s see how we can help you!

Barbara Clarke, AIA, LEED AP, GGP, GGA

Director of Sustainability

JL Architects

What Can Green Globes Do for You?

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The Green Building Initiative (GBI) was founded in 2005, with a mission to accelerate the adoption of building practices that result in energy-efficient, healthier and environmentally sustainable buildings. They achieve this by promoting credible and practical green building approaches for New Construction (NC), Existing Buildings (EB) and Sustainable Interiors (SI).

The Green Globes system was promoted in the United States by the GBI.

Green Globes is a green building management tool that includes an assessment protocol, a rating system, and a framework of guidance for integrating environmentally friendly design and operation into buildings.

Clients of JL Architects who want to participate in energy savings, costs cutting, and protection of the environment may choose the Green Globes rating and assessment system to benchmark their buildings. Use of the Green Globes tools will help identify effective design elements in new construction and help evaluate existing buildings to improve their current operations. Both methods contribute to the improvement of a building’s performance over time.

The Green Globes third party assessment reports of your new construction project can be shared with all stakeholders to demonstrate a commitment to the environment, as well as provide a process to develop awareness and encourage dialog for solutions that include not just the project team, but the whole community.

Many projects lend themselves naturally to sustainable site selection, community connectivity, alternative transportation, storm water quantity, and quality control opportunities for greater innovation in green design.  Criterion found within Green Globes allows building owners to measure these areas for effectiveness and determine if modifications make sense for a more energy efficient future.

Posting Green Globes status summaries on your website will educate, while also prompting discussion and research among your stakeholders.

Below are some of the 2017 projects that JL Architects has led through the Green Globes assessment process. Stay tuned for future JLA presentations where we share the benefits that sustainability initiatives have made in building design, function, and energy reduction.

 

Barbara A.W. Clarke, AIA, LEED AP, GGP, GPCP, GGA

Director of Sustainability

JL Architects1

*NC – Main Line Health Fitness & Wellness Center, Concordville, PA – 2017: 2 Green Globes

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***EB – Grant Street Station, West Lafayette, IN – 2017: 2 Green Globes

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***EB – South Street Station, West Lafayette, IN – 2017: 2 Green Globes

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*NC – Alexander Pointe Apartments, Mebane, NC – 2017: 1 Green Globe

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***EB – Mountain Valley Apartments, Morgantown, WV – 2017: 1 Green Globe

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***EB – Village Green, Littleton, MA – 2017: 2 Green Globes

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***EB – Novus Odenton, Odenton, MD – 2017: 2 Green Globes

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*NC – Skye Apartments, Vista Ridge, CA – 2017: 3 Green Globes

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**SI – Drexel University, Bossone Research Enterprise Center – 2017: 3 Green Globes

 

*NC = new construction

**SI = sustainable interiors

***EB = existing building

Benefits of a Green Globes Certification!

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Benefit from Sustainable Features with a Green Globes Certification!

Green Globes was created to be a practical and flexible tool applicable to any building regardless of size, type, or budget. There are many benefits to achieving even just one Green Globe.

Once your Green Globes Professional has completed the initial survey, the Green Globes Assessor process begins. This involves an Assessor assigned to the project by the Green Building Initiative (GBI), who reviews and conducts an onsite walk through of the building and grounds. The project Assessor is accompanied by the property manager, design team representative, and in many cases the construction manager. A follow up meeting is often conducted to discuss the Green Globes process, and the key points of the assessment, which will create the final report and Green Globes certification.

While some buildings get by with only 35 or 36% of applicable points out of the initial 1000 (35% is the minimum), only the truly advanced buildings earn Three or Four Green Globes. This higher rating is what a leader in sustainability strives for, and those that get there typically work very hard to achieve Three or Four Green Globes. In fact, a net zero building outside of Chicago achieved both Three Green Globes and LEED Platinum.

Some buildings earn certification with only 35 or 36% of applicable points out of the initial 1000 but benefit from a customized report that details opportunities to improve the building – Alexander Pointe Apartments, Mebane, NC – One Green Globe –

Alexander Pointe apartments - 1 GG

Projects that achieve One Green Globe demonstrate a commitment to environmental efficiency practices. The process of achieving One Green Globes often provides incentive to building owners and designers to improve practices to take projects to the next level of demonstrating excellent progress in the reduction of environmental impacts and use of environmental efficiency practices.

Environmental Assessment Areas:

Regardless of the number of Green Globes that a project achieves the process remains the same and the following areas are questioned and documented:

Project Management: Collaborative meetings with stakeholders and influencers such as key design and construction personnel should be held as early as possible in the design process, and continue through building occupancy.  This benefits in your planning and creating a raised awareness of aspects that improve building performance and outcome.

Site: Review the effected development area.  Is it urban infill or suburban sprawl?  Are there greenfields, brownfields or floodplains effected?  Site criteria also deals with connections to other sites, walkability, storm water management, landscaping, water use and exterior light pollution.

Energy:  The single highest environmental assessment area of the Green Globes certification metric is energy use and conservation achieved through equipment selection and building performance.  They are critical aspects in determining the sustainability of a facility.  To ensure that the building continues to operate at the optimum level, continual monitoring and tracking of energy performance is essential.  The use of an energy model is encouraged as a tool to not only identify the systems that provide the highest payback, but also as a tool to evaluate value engineering and how suggested substitutions flow through to the long-term bottom line.

Water: Green Globes addresses water consumption including whole building performance and prescriptively water conserving features, water treatment, alternative sources of water, metering and sub-metering, and irrigation design.

Materials & Resources:  A significant aspect of sustainability that could be expanded and evaluated to a greater degree is the use of life cycle assessment (LCA). The opportunity to earn points for education and knowledge on the inputs and outputs required for various structural and interior materials from extraction through to delivery is too often overlooked by building teams. An LCA is considered the most reliable way to calculate and compare the cradle-to-grave environmental effects of common building materials. The use of LCA tools is encouraged by Green Globes. Also, Green Globes certification encourages a evaluation of how long building components will last and what alternatives there are to provide greater durability, higher returns and less waste.

Emissions: There are two paths for assessing heating; district heating or low emission boilers and furnaces. The cooling section includes review of refrigerants, specifically the ozone depleting potential (ODP), the global warming potential (GWP) and Green Chill best practices regarding leak detection. The Emissions environmental assessment area also addresses storage for hazardous materials.

Indoor Environment: Green Globes reviews the ventilation; air quality, air exchange intakes and exhausts, source control and the measurement of indoor pollutants including VOCs, fungus, mold, CO2, tobacco, and radon. Also, covered in this section is the use of an integrated pest management strategy, lighting design, and thermal and acoustic comfort.

Vicki Worden, President & CEO of GBI says, “It’s true, that every building can incorporate sustainable features and benefit from the Green Globes customized report for planning the next round of capital improvements. That does make Green Globes unique because it’s about inclusivity – every building has room for improvement. But there is a definite difference in achievement for the leaders of the pack.”

 

Barbara A.W. Clarke, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, Green Globes Professional, Green Globes Assessor

Director of Sustainability

JL Architects

www.jlarchs.com